Treatment of zinc ores.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRI MAURICE TAQU ET, OF ARGENTEUIL, FRANCE.

TREATMENT OF ZINC ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,915, dated November 19, 1901.

Application filed March 29, 1901. Serial No. 58,509. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI MAURICE TA- QUET, a citizen of the Republic of France, and a resident of Argenteuil, Seine, Republic of France,l1ave invented Improvements in the Treatment of Zinc Ores, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the treatment of zinc ores, as well as industrial residues or solutions containing said metal.

The main object of the invention is to so treat mixed ores of zinc and lead as to economically extract the zinc from them and at the same time obtain sulfide of alkaline-earth metals.

In carrying out my invention I proceed in the manner which I will now describe, taking as an example thetreatment of a mixed ore of zinc and lead-that is, an ore containing galena and blende. This ore is submitted to any of the well-known roasting processes for obtainingby lixiviation with water or with water containing sulfuric acid a solution of sulfate of zinc and an insoluble residue containing silicum, lead, and precious metals. The solution of sulfate of zinc, which maybe purified or not, is incompletely decomposed by an alkaline-earth-metal chlorid-such as that of calcium, barium, or strontiumso as to obtain a precipitation of alkaline-earthmetal sulfate and a zinciferous solution containing, for example, one part of zinc sulfate to three parts of chlorid of zinc.

chlorid of zinc may be varied; but those stated have given good results.

industries for the manufactures of difierent' products, such as hyposulfites, precipitated metallic sulfids, sulfur, &c.

The advantages which result from the above-described process are, first, economical treatment of mixed ores; second, extraction of zinc from these ores, and, third, production of alkaline-earth sulfids, which can be utilized in difierent ways in the industries.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The herein-described process which consists in first subjecting a solution containing sulfate and chlorid of zinc to the action of oxid of an alkaline-earth metal and thereby obtaining by precipitation an artificial product composed of oxid of zinc and sulfate of the alkaline-earth metal and then subjecting this product mixed with carbon to heat and thereby obtaining at one and the same operation metallic zinc and a residue of alkalineearth-metal sulfid, all substantially as described.

2. The herein-described process which consists in subjecting a mixture of oxid of zinc and sulfate of an alkaline-earth metal to heat in the presence of an excess of carbon and distilling over metallic zine while leaving a residue of alkaline-earth-metal sulfid, sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI MAURICE TAQUET.

Witnesses i LEON FRANCKEN, EDWARD P. MAOLEAN. 

